44 THE LA W OF CONTINUITY. 



do so ; and he who sacrifices accuracy to brilliancy 

 and sensationalism offends in two directions, for 

 he can have no respect for the intelligence of the 

 people whom he really misleads, but is profess- 

 ing to teach, and he brings discredit upon science, 

 gaining only for himself thoughtless applause. 

 People who care very little about scientific investiga- 

 tion are encouraged to express themselves convinced 

 of the truth of this or that scientific doctrine, just as 

 vast numbers have believed in the truth of the table- 

 turning, spirit-rapping, and other fanciful manifesta- 

 tions. They appeal to evidence which they assert to 

 be convincing to their judgment, although the 

 favourite views may be opposed to known laws, 

 and be inconsistent with demonstrated facts. 



That ninety-nine hundredths of the living beings on 

 this globe should be derived from living beings that 

 existed before them, while one hundredth, or one 

 thousandth, or one ten thousandth should result di- 

 rectly from non-living matter, is very improbable ; but 

 because it is affirmed that such a view is " advanced," 

 and in harmony with the whole tendency of thought, 

 people do not stop to consider its probability or im- 

 probability. Continuity prevails as a law, but con- 

 tinuity is not to be universally applicable. Experience 

 and observation demonstrate in thousands of cases 

 that living matter is derived from living matter, and 

 yet we are asked to believe that in some instances 

 living matter comes from lifeless matter, because the 



